There are a number of scenarios where an individual interacts with an access terminal or a service person while simultaneously operating a vehicle. For example, while driving a car, an individual may attempt to enter an area that requires security clearance, gain entrance to a parking garage, pick up medications, cross a geographic border, purchase good at a drive-through restaurant, pay for a toll, etc.
These interactions typically cause delays and inconvenience. Handing over an access card at a security station requires the driver to stop their car (causing delays) and reach out of their car window (causing discomfort). Additionally, a human operator has the opportunity to skim a magnetic stripe card or otherwise copy access credentials.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2011/0208568 to Deitker et al. provides improvements to the toll payment scenario. Deitker et al. describes a system for identifying a vehicle using RFID (radio frequency identification) or by reading the license plate number. When the vehicle passes through a toll area, a toll facility identifies the vehicle. The next day, the toll facility sends a payment request to a financial network. The financial network looks up a bank account linked with the vehicle, and then causes the toll payment to be taken from the bank account and sent to the toll facility. This streamlines the process for passing through a toll area, as the driver does not have to stop, physically hand anything to an operator, or have a special prepaid account for the toll service.
However, the system in Deitiker et al. is specifically designed for the toll plaza scenario and it is not suitable for use with other types of vehicle-based transactions. For example, in Deitiker et al., the transaction is not authorized until after the vehicle has passed the toll station, and transactions are processed in batches. Thus, the system in Deitiker et al. does not work for other types of resource providers that process transactions individually such that the transaction can be authorized before granting access or releasing goods (e.g., military base security stations, gas stations, and drive-through restaurants).
Embodiments of the invention address these and other problems individually and collectively.